Social media’s democratizing tools coincided with an emphasis on authentic self-expression

Evidence

The presupposition that realness is a conduit to empowerment has found a welcome home in the social media sphere. In particular, the outwardly democratizing nature of production and distribution technologies coincided with a heightened emphasis on “authentic” public self-expression. — Brooke Erin Duffy, (Not) Getting Paid to Do What You Love, 268

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Calculated authenticity as promotion emerged in early twentieth-century America — Brooke Erin Duffy, (Not) Getting Paid to Do What You Love:…, 319; Postwar ads co-opted counterculture authenticity to sell conformity — Brooke Erin Duffy, (Not) Getting Paid to Do What You Love:…, 376; The web’s mass reach makes ordinary consumers into potential broadcasters. — Brooke Erin Duffy, (Not) Getting Paid to Do What You Love:…, 632 (+1 more)

Broader Connections

• Social media’s democratizing promise reversed into authoritarian crackdowns and troll-army suppression #complicates (0.85)